Trump to cavort with LaPierre, NRA pals at annual right-wing lovefest

President Trump took to Twitter on Tuesday to hype the yearly event. (Alex Brandon/AP)

President Trump, a contingent of his cabinet members and top National Rifle Association officials will join thousands of right-wing activists this week for the annual Conservative Political Action Conference.

Trump on Tuesday applauded American Conservative Union chairman Matt Shlapp for organizing the right-wing confab in Maryland, about 10 miles south of the White House.

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Trump tweeted that there's a "big difference" in the event now that former President Barack Obama is out of office.

"Matt Schlapp and CPAC are getting ready for another exciting event," the President wrote shortly after Schlapp appeared on Fox News' "Fox and Friends."

"Big difference from those days when President Obama held the White House. You've come a long way Matt!"

Schlapp, whose conservative commentator wife, Mercedes Schlapp, joined the White House as senior adviser for strategic communications late last year, told Fox News the gathering will focus on the upcoming 2018 midterm elections.

"We are going to focus on the Trump agenda and this Republican agenda that has had so much success," he said. "I think we will look at what we did last year and what's come up this year and making sure people understand how important it is for this agenda to keep rolling."

Trump and a contingent of his cabinet members — including Vice President Pence, Education Secretary Betsy DeVos, Energy Secretary Rick Perry, Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke — are all slated to take the stage during the four-day extravaganza.

White House counsel Don McGahn and former Sheriff David Clarke will also join the GOP-led fun.

The Trump administration officials will likely take a victory lap celebrating the passage of the GOP-backed tax overhaul, but they may have to account for signing off on a bipartisan spending bill that raises spending caps and increases funding for domestic programs.

Trump is scheduled to speak on Friday morning.

The event will also feature a high-profile appearance by NRA head Wayne LaPierre — one week after 17 people were killed by a 19-year-old gunman at a Florida high school.

Survivors from the school have rallied against the NRA and its influence over GOP lawmakers, accusing politicians of having "blood on their hands" for opposing gun control.

LaPierre has sparked outrage in the past for his unwavering opposition to gun control laws.

In 2012, after 20 children and six staffers were killed in Newtown, Conn., LaPierre was blasted for his tone-deaf comments blaming depictions of violence in media for mass shootings and proposing putting armed guards in every school in America.

"The only way to stop a bad guy with a gun is with a good guy with a gun," he said.

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The NRA has enjoyed a cozy relationship with the Trump administration. The gun rights lobbying group dropped $30 million to back Trump's presidential bid.